Dominic Thiem becomes first man to win US Open final from 2 sets down, netizens amazed

On Sunday, Dominic Thiem became the first man in the Open era (first since 1939) to come back from two sets down to win the US Opens. After dropping the opening two sets against Alexander Zverev at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Thiem turned the game head over heels, winning the next three sets to earn his maiden Grand Slam title. For the 27-year-old, it was fourth-time lucky as he finally added a Grand Slam title to his trophy collection after losing in three finals - twice against Rafael Nadal in French Open and most recently, against Novak Djokovic in Australian Open 2020. 

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US Open 2020 finals: Thiem vs Zverev

Thiem advanced to the US Open 2020 finals without dropping a single set, beating the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur, Felix Auger Aliassime, Marin Cilic and Sumit Nagal in previous rounds. Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev generally enjoyed a slow start in most of his matches, dropping the opening two sets against Pablo Carreno Busta in the semi-finals and losing the first set to Borna Coric in the quarter-finals. However, the 23-year-old German star defied odds to become the youngest finalist at a major championship since Novak Djokovic at the 2010 US Open. 

In a surprising turn of events, the final saw Alexander Zverev make an explosive start, winning the first two sets to put himself in a commanding position to take the title. However, Thiem fired back to win the next two sets to set up a thrilling climax to the finale. As it approached the four-hour mark, the game became more of a test of mental fortitude than technical prowess. A back-and-forth final phase of the set saw both Zverev and Thiem fail to make their chances count to earn the crucial championship points.

At one point, Zverev came within two points of victory but was pulled back by a relenting Thiem. Eventually, it was the more experienced of the two, who came out on top despite the barrage of errors from both parties. Thiem won 163 points as compared to Zverev's 159. 

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The Austrian broke his Grand Slam deadlock with a 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory. It was a historic night for Thiem, who became the 150th Grand Slam champion and the first champion born in the 1990s. The 27-year-old is only the second Austrian men's tennis star to win a major championship after Thomas Muster (1995 Roland Garros). 

Netizens react to Dominic Thiem making history at US Open 2020

 

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(Image Credits: US Open Twitter Handle)